1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hard butter composition and its production.
2. Disclosure of the Prior Art
Hard butter used in chocolate is divided into two types, i.e., a tempering type and a non-tempering type, according to need for a tempering step.
Tempering type hard butter contains SUS (1,3-disaturated-2-unsaturared) type triglycerides as its main component and has sharp and good meltability in the mouth. However, tempering type hard butter shows polymorphism, which requires a tempering step, and uses thereof are restricted.
As non-tempering type hard butter which does not require a tempering step, trans acid type hard butter whose main component is tarns type unsaturated fatty acids, and lauric acid type hard butter whose main component is lauric fatty acids have been known. Among them, tarns acid type hard butter has sharp meltability in the mouth. However, it has an inferior flavor due to hydrogenation. In addition, recently, adverse influence on health by trans fatty acids have been reported. Lauric acid type hard butter does not suit cocoa butter. Further, lauric acid type hard butter causes a soapy flavor and this is problematic.
Then, it is desired to develop non-tempering type hard butter which is non-trans acid/non-lauric acid type and has good meltability in the mouth.
Recently, non-tempering type hard butter which is non-trans acid/non-lauric acid type hard butter has been proposed. For example, JP-B 3-78440, JP-B 8-16234 and JP-A 6-14717 propose a hard butter composition comprising as a main component SSU (1,2-disaturated-3-unsaturated) type triglycerides. JP-A 5-211837 proposes a hard butter composition in which SUS type triglycerides as a main component are compounded with SSU type triglycerides. However, these compositions use SSU type triglycerides which are produced by enzymatic interesterification and are expensive.
Then, JP-A 9-285255 proposes a hard butter composition in which SUS type triglycerides as a main component are compounded with SSU type triglycerides produced by random interesterification. However, chocolate produced by using a large amount of this composition has inferior meltability in the mouth because a large amount of SSS (trisaturated) type triglycerides are contained in this composition.